I don't normally make a pre game statement or a pre game pick...today I'll make both as I will be eating Lobster tonight at a reunion.

The Oilers are a deadly team to meet right now. They are skating as well as any team in the league right now. We saw what speed did to the Canucks in the San Jose game. The Oilers feel they can finally beat the Canucks after 2 ties in recent months and 2 shootout wins.

wow showy, have fun at the game...any chance you have a "CBC" sign so we'll see you on TV? maybe "Canucks Best in Canada" or something like that?

as for the quality of the canucks...geez, 7 starters out on thurs, and the oil are playing better...hopefully kesler comes back, and the guys somehow re-group...and sanford regains his wed night performance...and maybe a couple of lucky bounces...3-2 nucks in the shoot-out to hand edmonton their first shoot out loss...salo and daniel score with linden and raymond scoring the shoot out goals.

I'm hoping for reversal of fortunes tonight with a shootout win for the Canucks tonight:

Linden and Kess scoring for Canucks in the shoot out, Horcoff for Edmonchuck.

Salo and Sedin (Daniel) for the Nucks and Sanderson and Souray For the Oil in regulation.
3-2 final.

But what the hell do I know?!?

On another note related to Hockey night in Canada - Do you think Bob Cole wears Depends when he works? Caus he craps his pants every time the Maple Laughs touch the puck! Love the way he refers to "The Montreal Canadians Player" who scored. He's been around long enough that he should make an effort to learn player names other than the Laughs.

I also Love watching the Habs beating up Big Smoke so far. (3-0 as i type)

I don't have a good feeling about this, but with Souray the pylon out there anything can happen. I say 3-2 Canuckleheads in OT, with Kesler getting the winner. Wife wants Mitchell to mix it up with somebody... anybody. When was the last time he dropped the gloves, anyway?

All signs point to an Oiler victory but my gut tells me otherwise. If the Canucks of the last two years have been anything it's resilient. At worst I'd expect a better effort from the Nucks and a close game. At best a 3-2 victory.

You had to know it was going to be bad when it went to the shootout. Even so, I was hoping for a second when Kes scored and we just had Horcoff to beat... yeah, then the rest went sh*t.

Even though Nazzy and the twins don't do great in the shootout, Craig Simpson was right - put the game on thei shoulders and have them win it. I mean, WTF is AV thinking sending Burrows and Pyatt out there???? Why not send Raymond or Jaffray instead?

At least the guys escaped with a point. Considering everything else the guys have gone through and how hot the Oil have been lately, it aint a bad fate.

PS - I've never seen Mitchell skate so fast as when he broke up that rush in OT.